Renewable Energy and Sustainable Agriculture

Organizations and Websites

The following organizations and sites contain relevant information about biofuels and renewable energy for agriculture.

1) National Biodiesel Board-Comprehensive information on biodiesel http://www.biodiesel.org

2) New Rules- information on agricultural policies and energy and international rules that nurture vibrant and diversified rural communities. http://www.newrules.org/agri/index.html

3) Journey to Forever- Small NGO working on small scale energy projects. http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html

4) EESI- the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting environmentally sustainable societies. Some focus on sustainable agriculture and energy.
http://www.eesi.org

5) 25*25- A coalition of groups dedicated to having agriculture provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States by 2025 while continuing to produce abundant, safe and affordable food and fiber. http://www.agenergy.info/index.aspx?mid=28409

6) ATTRA-National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). It provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in sustainable agriculture in the United States. Contains extensive pages on renewable energy in agriculture. http://www.attra.org/energy.html. ATTRA also lists farm energy calculators on their website at http://attra.ncat.org/energy_calculators.html . The calculators are planning tools designed to help producers save electrical energy, fuel or fossil-fuel-based fertilizers.

7) Piedmont Biofuels-- A worker and member owned cooperative whose mission is to lead the grassroots sustainability movement in North Carolina by using and encouraging the use of clean, renewable biofuels. http://www.biofuels.coop/

Government Programs
1) U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development
www.rurdev.usda.gov
USDA is becoming an increasingly important player in renewable energy through federal support of biomass based fuels. This site has information about grant programs to assist farmers who choose to participate in biomass feedstock development.

2) National Renewable Energy Laboratory
http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/npbf/renewable_diesel.html
NREL conducts research on renewable energy technologies including biomass fuels.

3) Biomass Research & Development Initiative (joint DOE/USDA project)
www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov
The Biomass Initiative is a multi-agency effort to coordinate and accelerate all Federal biobased products and bioenergy research and development.

4) Department of Energy - Alternative Fuels Data Center
www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/

5) Department of Energy: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Biomass Program develops technology for conversion of biomass (plant-derived material) to fuels, chemicals, materials and power, so as to reduce dependence on foreign oil and foster growth of biorefineries.

6) USDA-Office of the Chief Economist: Office of Energy Policy and New Uses.
http://www.usda.gov/oce/energy
USDA papers on economics and energy balance of biofuels.

7) DOE- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/
A gateway to hundreds of Web sites and thousands of online documents on energy efficiency and renewable energy

8) Bioenergy Feedstock Information Network (BFIN).
http://bioenergy.ornl.gov.
BFIN is a gateway to a wealth of biomass feedstock information resources from the U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and other research organizations.

9) DOE-EERE site on net metering.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/netmetering.shtml

10) DOE-EERE Site on Agricultural Sector Resources and Tools
http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/ag_tools.asp?
This page lists resources and tools specifically for the agricultural community including an online calculator that provides quick, detailed economic evaluation of potential utility-scale wind energy projects and links to other Web sites.

11) Energy Estimators from NRCS for Tillage, Fertilizer, Irrigation and Animal Housing
http://energytools.sc.egov.usda.gov/
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has developed four energy tools to increase energy awareness in agriculture and to help farmers and ranchers identify where they can reduce their energy costs. The results generated by these tools are estimates based on NRCS models and are illustrative of the magnitude of savings.

12) The Sun Grant Initiative
http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/02workshop/kephart.ppt
The Sun Grant Initiative (Sun Grant Initiative Act of 2003) created five regional centers for university-based research, Extension and educational programs for biobased energy and value-added products. Programs include (1) research, extension, and educational programs on technology development; and (2) integrated research, extension, and educational programs on technology implementation. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Energy are partners in the initiative.

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